


The Only Voice Coming Back

by ralsbecket



Series: earth's mightiest heroes [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bisexual Steve Rogers, M/M, Post-Avengers (2012), Public Blow Jobs, Song: Echo (Jason Walker), Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-10
Updated: 2020-02-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:07:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22655986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ralsbecket/pseuds/ralsbecket
Summary: Taboo Writing Challenge - Day 6: In Public-“Everything special about you came out of a bottle.” But even as the words cut under his skin, Steve’s mind went reeling at the smell of tangerines and motor oil. It was in that moment that he vowed to prove Tony Stark wrong, whatever it would take.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Series: earth's mightiest heroes [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1771900
Kudos: 54
Collections: Stony*, Taboo_January_Writing_Challenge_2020





	The Only Voice Coming Back

**Author's Note:**

> “’Cause my echo, echo  
> Is the only voice coming back  
> Shadow, shadow  
> Is the only friend that I have”  
> \- Jason Walker, _Echo_

The twenty-first century was… Well, frankly, it was loud. Crowded. After waking up from the ice in SHIELD’s headquarters, Steve had run out barefoot into the streets of New York, disoriented and in one hell of a shock. The new Director of SHIELD, Nick Fury, had taken him back for debrief and sent to this cabin in the middle of nowhere.

SHIELD put him up in an apartment in Brooklyn after, somewhere near his old neighborhood. He was able to take the rail and do groceries and sit outside in cafes to draw the new buildings like he used to. Steve figured it was their attempt to get him acclimated to the new world order, but no amount of coddling chased the darkness away.

After a couple months, Fury came back to him with a mission. Talked something about the Tesseract and this Loki character that was apparently the next big bad that had fallen onto the organization’s radar. Steve was left with a Manila envelope that held a large stack of dossiers and some technological screen the size of his two hands.

He read through the files of the other recruits: Bruce Banner, who turned into a huge, green creature because of an accident trying to recreate the Super-Soldier Serum. Natasha Romanoff, a master assassin that was on SHIELD’s payroll. And then, there was Tony Stark, the consultant – and his friend Howard's only kid. (Apparently, Stark had inherited his father's genius in addition to his money, being as he was a billionaire engineer himself.)

Messing around with the screen, he managed pull up files about the Starks: Howard and Peggy and Phillips starting SHIELD; Howard rising in the weapons industry, marrying Maria Collins-Carbonell, having his son, and dying in a car crash in 1991. Tony Stark became the youngest CEO to head a world-wide powerhouse when he came of age, but he lived in infamy because of being a serial playboy.

Something about him – maybe not his ego, but his novelty of smarts and his handsome face – reminded Steve of the old feelings in the pit of his stomach whenever Bucky was around. There was (probably) something in the tension between Steve and Howard, too. He shoved those feelings down, knowing having a different sexuality would turn society against him, shunning him into an abyss of self-loathing. If certain civil rights have changed, it made him wonder how drastically everything else has, too.

Steve soon found himself meeting the rest of the team, boarding a helicarrier (that was most definitely not a large military naval ship, but looks were deceiving). After suiting up for a mission, Steve and Natasha took a Quinjet to Germany. And while Steve lived for the theatrics – he had gone on a show tour, once upon a time – he couldn’t stand idly by as Loki threatened innocent people.

Steve had jumped into the crowd in time to save an elderly man from being injured by Loki’s magic, deflecting it right back to him.

“You know,” he began, stepping forward, “the last time I was in Germany and saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing.”

An almost wicked grin found its way to Loki’s lips. “The soldier!” Loki gritted out, using the staff to pull him to his feet. “The man out of time.”

“I’m not the one who’s out of time.”

It was a good line. It was a good line, wasn’t it? Maybe if Loki wasn’t single-handedly handing Steve’s ass back to him on a silver platter – maybe then, he would have agreed. The two of them had thrown each other around until Loki got the upper hand, shoving the super soldier to his knees.

Loki pressed the tip of his staff atop his head. He hissed, “ _Kneel_.”

“Not today,” Steve responded, half-not knowing how he could get out of the situation. But then there was some incredibly obnoxious noise (music, he would later find out) and a streak of red and gold, and then Loki was sprawling across the concrete.

Steve watched in awe as the Iron Man suit hovered, its plating sliding back to reveal many different weapons as Tony Stark aimed it forward. A robotic tinge masked his voice as he tested, “It’s your move, Reindeer Games.”

Loki slowly raised his empty hands in surrender, looking sheepish and defeated.

“Good move.” The weapons tucked themselves away before the armor plating slid cleanly closed.

Steve walked up to him, pulling at the straps attaching the shield to his arm. He looked up at the Iron Man suit, breathing out in greeting, “Mr. Stark.”

“Captain.”

A shiver rolled up Steve’s spine. Maybe Stark wouldn’t end up being so bad.

And of course, he was so wrong. He was sarcastic and witty, and he served back what was dished out to him. Stark was in fact _infuriating_. Back in the helicarrier, tensions were at an all-time high when the whole team began to argue.

“Why shouldn’t the guy let off a little steam?” Stark questioned Fury, reaching out and putting a hand on Steve’s shoulder.

The super soldier, already irritated, swatted his hand away. “You know damn well why – _back off_.”

Stark looked him straight in the eye. The hairs at the back of Steve’s neck prickled in anticipation. Neither of them blinked. “Oh, I’m starting to want you to make me.”

“Yeah,” he sighed, stepping around Stark and giving him a onceover. He noticeably filled out his shirt well, something that Steve filed away in the back of his mind. “Big man in a suit of armor. You take that off, what are you?”

“A genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist,” the brunet deadpanned.

“I know guys with none of that worth _ten_ of you.” Steve kept eye contact with Stark, fighting the urge to punch him on the mouth. Or putting his mouth on his would probably work just as well. “I’ve seen the footage. The only thing you really fight for is yourself.”

Steve watched Stark’s jaw tighten as he continued, “You’re not the kind of guy to make the sacrifice play. To lay down on the wire and let the other guy crawl over you –”

“I think I would just cut the wire.”

He felt a cynical smirk fall across his lips as he shook his head. “Always a way out,” Steve remarked coldly. “You know, you may not be a threat, but you better stop pretending to be a hero.”

“A hero? Like you? You’re a laboratory experiment, Rogers.” Stark stepped up to him, spitting venom. The tension between them was palpable. “Everything special about you came out of a _bottle_.” But even as the words cut under his skin, Steve’s mind went reeling at the smell of tangerines and motor oil. It was in that moment that he vowed to prove Tony Stark wrong, whatever it would take.

~*~*~*~

After the Battle of New York, SHIELD ordered them all to HQ for debrief. Steve wandered around in the dead of night, suffering from the high of battle and unable to sleep. They had lost a lot, that much was sure, but the team had just saved the fucking _world_. Ironically enough, Steve would rightly give credit to Tony for all of it. That son of a bitch had prevented a nuclear warhead from decimating the city and sent it flying into the open wormhole, nearly killing himself in the process.

Steve was absentmindedly roaming the halls when he spotted a head of tousled brown hair. Tony had a tablet tucked under his arm, and the surprised expression on his face told Steve that he wasn’t expecting to see anyone up and about either. The blond sheepishly sent a wave his way, but Tony pivoted on his heel and headed back the way he came.

“Hey! Aren’t you supposed to be in the infirmary?” Steve called after him, raising a brow.

“It got boring,” Tony shot back. He turned his head to look at the blond. “What are you gonna do, Rogers? Snitch on me?”

A corner of Steve’s lip quirked up as he rolled his eyes. “No, but Fury made it clear that you need an overnight evaluation considering –”

Tony huffed under his breath, “God, you’re annoying.”

Steve scoffed. Right, just as he thought he would start a normal, civil conversation with Tony, he went and said some off-hand comment to dismiss it altogether. His brows furrowed together while he advanced on the brunet. “What the _hell_ is your problem?”

“I don’t think I need someone who’s not my S/O dictating every little thing I do or don’t do.” Tony turned to him fully, eyes wide with feigned innocence.

Steve frowned, a fury building up in his gut. “Well, I’m not going to apologize for wanting to look out for my team –”

“Your team, right. I don’t need your misguided loyalty, Steven.” Tony waved him off as he continued down the corridor.

“ _Misguided_ – ?” He hustled forward to match Tony’s stride, stepping in front of him to keep him from walking away. “I don’t know what you’re _on_ , Tony, but I’d have thought after the shit we went through _hours ago_ that you’d at least show me some respect.”

Tony blinked up at him, brown eyes staring into his blues. His lips were open slightly; Steve kicked himself mentally when he couldn’t help his gaze from flickering down at his mouth. The post-battle aura was still strong, and Steve fought the urge to –

“Damn it, Steve, are you going to kiss me or not?”

Tony Stark was all hard edges, but his lips were surprisingly soft. As was his hair that Steve weaved his fingers through. As were the pants that escaped his lips when Steve started to nip at the skin under his collar. Tony grabbed his face with both hands and pressed their lips together again, and Steve’s mind finally registered the distant taste of scotch against his tongue.

“Aren’t you afraid… that someone would find us like this?” Tony managed between kisses, stopping only to stifle a moan when Steve (boldly) started to palm him over his jeans.

Steve smirked slightly; all inhibitions thrown out the metaphorical window as the excitement kicked in. Tony hardened under his touch, and Steve got him walking backwards into a barely hidden alcove without breaking the kiss. He dropped down to his knees and hurriedly got to work on the genius’s cock, his hand stroking as his tongue teased at the sensitive head. The quiet curses that came from Tony turned into guttural moans as Steve continued his ministrations.

Footsteps. Someone was coming from the north side of the building, their steps echoing in the nearly empty hall. Steve merely looked up at Tony whose fist was in his mouth, trying to muffle the dirty sounds that threatened to come out. Their eyes met briefly, and just as one of the SHIELD night guards passed them in the hall, Steve hollowed his cheeks, pulling Tony undone as an orgasm rolled through him. He hummed against him, tasting his salty spend on his tongue and swallowing happily.

Steve let go of him, licking the underside of his length and smirking when the man shivered. Tucking him away, the blond slowly got up from his knees, leaving open mouthed kisses up the brunet’s stomach and chest. When they were nose-to-nose and Steve could feel Tony’s breath against his lips, he couldn’t help the small grin upon seeing just how blown his pupils were. “Is my loyalty _that_ misguided?” he asked softly, amusement entwined with his words.

Slightly disheveled but smiling, Tony pulled Steve forward by the shirt to plant another kiss to his lips. “I’m going to need your loyalty to misguide me in bed.”

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Fun fact: for shits and giggles I googled how RDJ smells and according to Mark, he smells like tangerines LOL  
> Update 2021 - This became A Thing and is now part of a series set in the same universe! Go forth into the "Echo;" series!
> 
> -  
> [Check out my linktree for tumblr, discord, and other socials!](https://linktr.ee/ralsbecket)


End file.
